African Football League: All Four Coaches Still Confident Of Final Appearance
All the four coaches left in the race for a first African Football League final remain confident. This past weekend saw Mamelodi Sundowns, Al Al Ahly, Wydad Casablanca, and Esperance de Tunis compete in the 1st legs of the semifinals for this new African tournament.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach, Rulani Mokwena is not too worried with the 1-0 lead The Brazilians will carry to Cairo.
“In the second leg we must apply even more pressure just like we did today. Also, I want to emphasize that we are capable of scoring in Cairo,” said Mokwena after a Thapelo Maseko well struck goal put his side in the lead on aggregate.
Mokwena’s opposite number, Marcel Koller, still has hope of securing a place in the first-ever AFL final.
“There’s still an opportunity for us to secure qualification. The upcoming game in Cairo will be crucial and we will give it our all,” Koller noted after the defeat in Pretoria.
Koller and company can count themselves to be behind by just a single goal. A combo of poor finishing and brave goalkeeping from El Shanawy kept the Egyptians in the tie.
On the other side of the coin, Wydad Casablanca also missed a bevvy of chances which gave Esperance de Tunis coach hope of a spot in the final.
“Despite Wydad scoring a goal, we managed to create chances. So we can achieve victory and qualify in the second leg,” explained Tarel Thabeth, the Esperance coach.
Just like Al Ahly, Esperance should be further behind in the tie. The crossbar and a glaring miss coming to the aid of the Tunisians. Coach Adil Ramzi of Wydad Casablanca stressed the need for some time out before the crucial second leg.
“We still have another 90 minutes to play in Tunisia, but for now it is essential to get some rest before commencing our preparations for the second leg in the most suitable manner” Aziz said after the 1-0 home win.
With a hefty prize on the table for the winning team, all four teams look set to serve another dish of riveting football in the second legs. The first African Football tournament has certainly not dissappointed so far.
